Frost Bite: Dimirti's Story
by Brittany1224
Summary: This is the second book in the Vampire Academy series all in Dimitri's POV. Please, Enjoy. Sequel to "Vampire Academy: Dimitri's Story" Rated M to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

Hello guys, I just finished the first book "Vampire Academy" in Dimitri's point of view (Vampire Academy: Dimitri's Story), and now I am going to do the second book, due to the overwhelming feedback I got.

So please, Enjoy and tell me what you think! (:

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As usual, Rose was late. I was standing by the campus issued car, a Honda Pilot. Rose came rushing into my vision and I gave her a looked that said _You're late._

"I know, I know," She said. "Sorry I'm late." We stood there for a moment, the massive brick building casting long shadows over us, looming like some great beast in the dusky predawn light. I watched the light, crystalline flakes of snow drift slowly down. Several landed and promptly melted on Roza's long, dark hair.

"Who else is going?"

I shrugged. "Just you and me." Guardian Alto would have gone with us, but I insisted that it would be more efficient if it were just Rose and her mentor. Kirova finally agreed, not really fond of Stan either, I suppose. Rose's face instantly brightened up, a wide smile spread over her face.

"How far away is it?" She asked anxiously.

"Five hours." I wish it could have been longer, but I guess we'll have to make a few rest stops. There wasn't a lot of time where it was just Rose and I- besides practice.

"Oh." Rose looked a little disappointed.

At that, we got into the car and started the long drive. The roads were dim and snowy. It would have been difficult for a human to see through the snow, but our Dhampir eyes had no problem seeing the road. I stared at the road, trying to think about the smell of Rose's shampoo that filled the car.

"Don't they usually come to the academy?" She asked me about an hour into the ride. "I mean, I'm all for the field trip, but why are we going to them?" _I was all for the field trip, too._

"Actually, you're going to a _him_ not a _them,"_ I told her, trying to contain a grin. She was going to have a heart attack when she found out who was going to be doing her Qualifier. My slight Russian accent laced my words, one that I tried very hard to demolish. "Since this is a special case and he's doing us a favor, we're the ones making the trip."

"Who is he?"

"Arthur Schoenberg." I said.

Rose's gaze jerked from the road and she stared at me with wide eyes. "What?" she squeaked. Arthur Schoenberg was one of the greatest Strigoi slayers in living Guardian history and used to be the head of the Guardians Council- the group of people who assigned Guardians to Moroi and made decisions for all of us. He had retired a few years ago and gone back to protecting the Badicas. But even retired, the man was lethal. Some of his exploits were actually part of the Academy's curriculum.

"Wasn't…wasn't there anyone else available?" She asked in a small voice.

I myself could barely hold back my grin. She was being such a worrywart. "You'll be fine. Besides, if Art approves of you, that's a great recommendation to have on your record." Rose was quiet as she bit her lip in thought. I could tell she was actually nervous about this. "You'll be fine." I repeated, trying to comfort her. That was something I wasn't very good at. "The good in your record outweighs the bad." She smiled slightly and peeked out of the corner of her eye at me. Rose took a deep breath before looking back at the road.

"Thanks, Coach." She teased, snuggling back into her seat.

"I'm here to help," I replied. My voice was light and relaxed- it was only like that when I was with her. Whenever I was with Rose, all of my dark feelings and negative emotions drained from me and I instantly felt like a heavy weight was lifted off my shoulders. Only two things in the world had that much influence on me: My family and her. _Roza._

"You know what would really help?" She asked, not meeting my eyes. Uh-oh…what was she gonna do…

"Hmm?"

"If you turned off this crap music and put something on that came out after the Berlin Wall went down." I suddenly found myself laughing. _Laughing_. Like one of those real, ab-clenching laughs that almost hurts, but it's a good kind of hurt. "Your worst class is history, yet somehow you know everything about Eastern Europe."

"Hey, gotta have material for my jokes, Comrade." Well, if she was going to complain about it, let's just see what she has to say about this…

Still smiling, I turned the dial to a country station I frequented. Rose's eyes went wide and made a disgusted face. "Hey! This isn't what I had in mind," she exclaimed. I was on the verge of laughing again. Rose had to be the cutest girl I'd ever seen. The most beautiful.

"Pick. It's one or the other."

She sighed, "Go back to the 1980's stuff." I flipped the dial back and saw Rose cross her arms over her chest. If looks could kill, the radio would have exploded already.

Art and the family he protected lived in a small town along I-90, not far from Billings. The general Moroi opinion was split on places to live. Some argued that big cities were the best since they allowed vampires to be lost in the crowds; nocturnal activities didn't raise so much attention. Other Moroi, like this family, opted for less populated towns, believing that if there were fewer people to notice you, then the less likely you were to be noticed.

Rose had convinced me to stop for food at a twenty-four-hour diner along the way, and between that and stopping to buy gas, it was around noon when we arrived. The house was built in a rambler style, all one level with gray-stained wood siding and big bay windows-tinted black to block the sunlight, or course. It looked new and expensive, and even out in the middle of nowhere, it was about what I'd expected for members of a royal family.

Rose jumped out of the Pilot, her boots sinking into the soft powder seemed pretty fresh. The day was still and silent, save for an occasional breath of wind. Roza and I walked up to the house, cutting through the front yard. Even though the car ride here had left me in a cheerful mood, I was slipping into business mode. We'd both kind of taken a guilty satisfaction in the pleasant car ride.

Rose's foot slipped on the ice-covered walkway and I instantly reach out to steady me. I had a weird moment of déjà vu; flashing back to the night we'd met, back when I had saved her from a similar fall. Freezing temperatures or not, her skin welt warm under my hand, even through the layers of down in her parka coat.

"You okay?" I asked, releasing my hold on her, even though all I wanted to do was hold onto her hand.

"Yeah," she said, casting an accusing glare at the ice on the sidewalk. "Haven't these people heard of salt?" _Yes… why was there no salt? I saw a salt barrel by the garage. Wouldn't they have used it by now? Come to think of it, there weren't any tracks in the snow. The snow had been here for at least three hours._ I became alert and ready to strike at anything that might pose as s threat. Something was off here. I turned my head away from Roza to search the plains surrounding us before settling back on the house. I could practically feel Rose's desire to ask what was going on, but she stayed silent. For once.

I studied the house for almost a full minute, looked back down at the sidewalk, then glances back at the driveway, covered in a sheet of snow that was only broken by our footprints. I cautiously approached the front door, and I was vaguely aware of Rose following me. I stopped again, this time studying the door. It wasn't open, but not entirely shut either. Probably closed in some kind of haste., not sealing. Further examination showed scuffs along the door's edge, as though it had been forced open at some point. Only the slightest nudge would open it. _What had happened here?_ I lightly ran my fingers along where the door me the frame, my breath making small clouds in the air. When I touched the door's handle it jiggled a bit, like it had been broken. _Strigoi._

"Rose, go wait in the car." I said quietly, they were probably gone already, or still hiding in the shadows. Whatever was behind the door, I didn't want her to see. There were two possibilities; either there was nothing behind this door and Arthur had protected everyone by evacuating, or there was going to be an ugly mess. I braced myself for the worst.

"But wh-"

"Go." I used my Guardian voice, a tone that I had never used to speak to Rose, but this was not the time for Rose to be Rose. She needed to simply do as I said, or this could end with both of our lives being taken. Rose slowly backed up, walking down the snow covered lawn rather than risk falling on the ice again. I stood where I was until I was positive that she was in the car with the door safely shut. Then, I took a deep breath and with the gentlest movements, I pushed on the door and braced myself for what could be an utter devastation.

Even though there was no living soul in the house, I made sure my face held no emotion as I gazed that the massacre that had happened here. Bodies of both Strigoi and Moroi were strewn about on the floor. There was a woman that lay on her back in front of the T.V, her dark hair spilling on the floor around her. Her wide eyes stared up at me, blankly. Her face was pale- even for a Moroi. And for a moment I though her hair was spilling over her neck too, until I realized that the darkness around her neck was not hair, it was blood. Dried blood. Her throat had been ripped out.

The horrible scene was something that I had prepared for, but preparing and actually seeing are two very different things. Then I took in another body: a man on his side only a few feet away from the backslider door that had been broken into. His dark blood had seeped into the carpet around his head and neck. Another body was slumped against the couch. A small girl- only a child. Her blond hair was matted with blood and her head was almost completely severed. Across the room was another. Ant another. There were bodies everywhere, bodies and blood. I ripped my eyes away from the scene in the living room and searched the rest of the house, my stake poised and ready for any attack. There were none. As I scouted the house, I realized that there was nobody here. I sighed in relief, but it did little to ease the pain and loss that I felt for what happened here.

I found a larger body by the doorway to the bathroom. He was face down on the carpet, a dark pool of blood surrounding his neck and chest area. Realization dawned on me as I gently turned his head to one side. _Arthur._ I closed my eyes. Arthur had been a close friend of mine. _He was gone. And the damned Strigoi were to blame._

This was an ambush. It wasn't just an attack. It had been planned, skillfully so. It didn't make any sense though. Wards had protected this house. There was no way a Strigoi could have gotten in, nevertheless a band of Strigoi. And by the looks of it, it was a _large_ band of Strigoi. _Damn humans._

Suddenly, I heard a noise from the other room. There was nothing to think about, just do. I stalked over to the back slider, where the noise had come from and say a small figure with a stake in her hand standing in the doorway. A figure I would know anywhere.

_Rose._

What the fuck was she doing in here? What part of 'stay in the car' does she not understand? My anger subsided when I saw her expression. Rose looked like she was about to have a heart attack, she was breathing heavily and her eyes were wide with terror. She kept glancing around the room, looking at the different bodies with disgust, sympathy, and fright. It was like watching a fat person eat; it was disgusting and disturbing, but you just couldn't look away.

Just as she was about to open her mouth and let out, what I was sure was to be a blood curdling, ear-splitting scream, I reached her and covered her mouth with my glove-encased hand. She started to struggle, kicking and wiggling, probably having a panic attack. Then suddenly, she relaxed into me.

"Why," I asked, trying to get my temper under control again, "don't you ever listen? You'd be dead if _they_ were still here."

Rose didn't answer probably due to shock, and the fact that my hand was still covering her mouth. After about a minute, when I was sure she would stay quiet, I removed my hand from her mouth. Finally, she turned towards me.

"It's daytime." She whispered in a small, scared voice that was so uncharacteristic for her, it had me worrying about her state of mind. It was her first time seeing such a tragedy as this. I'm sure she's seen a dead body, but I'm positive she's never seen death to this magnitude. I had only seen something like this once before, and it was still disturbing. It was devastating. And I'm sure, this is worse for her. "Bad things don't happen during the day." There was a certain desperation in her voice that made her sound like a little girl how lost her mother in the grocery store. It was like a plea for someone to come and say that this was all just a bad dream and that it would be over soon, all you had to do was open your eyes. The only problem was that her eyes were already open and this wasn't a dream. It was reality.

"Bad things can happen anytime," I told her. "And this didn't happen during the day. This probably happened a couple of nights ago." Rose dared another peek at the bodies and looked at them. Two days they had been dead. Two days. Two days to be dead, to have your existence wiped out- without anyone in the world knowing that you were gone. Her eyes rested on the body of Arthur Schoenberg. I saw the question in her eyes.

"Arthur Schoenberg," I said quietly. Rose just stared at him.

"He's dead." She stated, as though it wasn't perfectly obvious. "How can he be dead? How could a Strigoi kill Arthur Schoenberg?" Even though he seemed immortal, he wasn't. Arthur was mortal, therefore was susceptible to death. I didn't tell her that, I don't think that's what she wanted to hear, but it is what it is.

I didn't answer her. I let my hand close around the hand that held the stake. Rose flinched.

"Where did you get this?" I asked. She loosened her grip and let me take the stake from her hands.

"Outside. In the ground."

I held it close to my face, studying its surface as it shone in the sunlight. "It broke the ward."

"Strigoi cant touch stakes," she told me after a moment. Rose was using a lot of _cant _and _don't _statements. I could see that it wasn't easy having everything you believe in change right before your very eyes. Rose had been taught that daylight was safe, that nothing bad ever happens during the day, and now, that was being challenged. Thanks to the humans. "And no Moroi or Dhampir would ever do it."

"A human might."

Rose met my eyes. Her face said that she had never even thought about the humans.

"Humans don't help-" Rose stopped when she realized that that is exactly what they had done. I couldn't help but feel sorry for Rose, everything she knew and believed was changing and not for the better. I watched her as she waged her mental battle.

"This changes everything, doesn't it?"

"Yeah," I told her, "It does."

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So, what did you think! tell me! I really do want to know! I love getting feedback from you guys and hearing what my readers have to say. I also take criticism, so if there are any grammatical mistakes please don't hesitate to point them out. Sorry if there are any spelling mistakes etc.

Please drop me a little review!

Much love,

~Brittany3


	2. Chapter 2

Hello, my faithful readers! I'm here with an update! Sorry for the long wait, but it was Thanksgiving in the US.. so I didn't have much time last week or this week (with school and stuff)... But here it is(: Please, Enjoy!

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CHAPTER 2

_"This changes everything, doesn't it?"_

_"Yeah," I told her, "It does."_

It took a couple of hours, but after I called Guardian Headquarters a whole SWAT team showed up. Rose and I had been waiting in the car, in complete silence. To be truthful, I was giving her time to let this sink in. It was a lot to register- even for me. I kept glancing over to Rose; she looked so scared and alone. I had a sudden, almost overbearing urge to wrap her in my arms and just hold her, to tell her that everything was going to be all right, to run my fingers in through her hair soothingly to help her calm down. But I couldn't. I immediately scolded myself for wanting that; she was my student for Goodness sake. I had absolutely no right to hold her, no matter what the situation was.

After for what seemed like years, the team arrived and I got out of the car. As I opened the door, I turned back to Rose, "You should see how this is done." I didn't particularly _want_ her back in the house, but this was part of her training, and now that her interview with Arthur was out of the question, she needed to do something productive. I could see that she didn't want to see any more of that house, but she followed me regardless.

I knew most of the Guardians from various places, and they all seemed to be surprised that Rose was here with me. I hadn't mentioned that I had a novice with me when I was on the phone. They would have sent someone to bring her back to the academy. So I was glad when none of them protested to Rose being there.

Rose walked sluggishly behind us as we –I- reexamined the house. Nobody touched anything, but they knelt b the bodies and studied the bloodstains and broken windows; the came up with the same conclusion I had. The Strigoi had entered the house through more than just the front door and the patio.

I could see Rose eyeing Tamara, as she knelt down next to Arthur. Arthur had been her mentor; this must be hard for her. Sadness flickered in her gray eyes as she studied him. "Oh, Arthur," she sighed. "Never thought I'd see this day. He was my mentor." She said, mostly for Rose's benefit. Everybody else already knew that. She let out another sigh then straightened her legs. Her Guardian mask securely in place.

"Hoe could they do that?" Rose blurted out. Everybody in the room turned to look at her. I looked at her curiously. What did she mean by _that?_ She knew how he was murdered. "How could they kill _him_" Ahhh. I understood now. Rose saw that man like some invincible, immortal Strigoi killer.

Tamara gave a small shrug.  
The same way they kill everyone else." She said to Rose, "He's mortal, just like the rest of us."

"Yeah, but he's…you know, Arthur Schoenberg."

"You tell us Rose," I said to her. Just because Arthur wasn't here to give her some kind of test doesn't mean that I can't. "You've seen the house. Tell us how they did it."

Rose thought for a moment, everybody else was still watching her; wanting to see what she would say. I wanted to see what she would say too.

"There were four points of entry, which means at least four Strigoi. There were seven Moroi…" Rose trailed off for a few moments as if to collect her thoughts, and despite everything that had happened today, she looked cute as hell when she thought. "…and three Guardians, Too many kills. Four Strigoi couldn't have taken down that many. Six probably could if they went for the Guardians first and caught them by surprise. The family would have been too panicked to fight back." Rose was smart; she knew what she was talking about. A small part of me wanted all the Guardians here to know how smart and talented she was. I wanted everyone to know. Rose is so good at what she does.

"And how did the catch the Guardians by surprise?" I prompted her, knowing that she would answer correctly.

Rose hesitated before she answered. "Because the wards were broken. In a household without wards, there'd probably be a Guardian walking the yard at night. But they wouldn't have done that here." I nodded my approval to her, but didn't ask any more questions. We all knew what happened after that. Humans working for Strigoi-a large group of Strigoi.

When we reached the bathroom Rose started to avert her eyes. We had already seen this room earlier and, neither of us wished to revisit it. There was a dead man in the bath tub with his face halfway ripped off. His dried dark blood stood out in contrast to the white tiling of the tub/shower. The blood pooled around the drain and stained almost every inch of the poor man's body. It was a disturbing sight. That was when she caught sight of something dark red- more brown, really- on the mirror. Rose hadn't noticed it earlier, but I had.

There was writing on the mirror, written in blood.

_Poor, poor Badicas. So few left. One Royal family nearly gone. Others to follow. _

When Tamara read the note she snorted in disgust and turned away from the mirror, busying herself by studying the other details in the bathroom. From the first time I read that, I couldn't get it out of my head. _One Royal family nearly gone. Others to follow._

Princess Vasilisa was the last in the Dragomir line. She was my charge, and there was absolutely no _way_ that I was going to let her die by the hands of power hungry Strigoi. It was kind of ironic how Strigoi wanted to tear apart Moroi society, since many of them had once been a part of it.

The rest of the day, Rose was quiet, silently mulling to herself. _That is dangerous._ I could tell Rose was growing angrier and angrier every passing minute, but I ignored it. It wasn't strange for her to be acting this way. It was natural.

When we finally went to leave, Rose jumped into the car and slammed her door so hard it was a miracle it didn't break off. I looked up at her in surprise. "What's wrong?" I knew that was a stupid question, but it slipped out of my mouth before I had a chance to think. _It seemed that I never think when Rose is around._

"Are you serious!" she exclaimed. _Oh God,_ I thought. Rose looked incredulous. "How can you ask that? You were there. You saw that."

"I did," I agreed calmly, not wanting to set her off even more. In all honesty, when Rose was like this, impulsive and _angry_, it scared me. Rose was naturally beautiful, easy to look at, and lovable- _but please Dear Lord, _don't let me get on her bad side. I suppressed a shudder just thinking about it. "But I'm not taking it out on the car." Rose fastened her seat belt and glowered at nothing in particular.

"I hate them. I hate them all! I wish _I'd_ been there. I would have ripped _their_ throats out!" Rose was practically shouting now, her face was red with anger and her fists were clamped shut on her lap. She was livid. I just stared at her, astonished at her outburst. I couldn't believe she had just said that, Rose was hot-headed, but usually not to this extent. I didn't want her to see that in the first place, let alone be there when it happened. The thought of that ran through my head and I envisioned a pale Rose lying on the ground with her throat ripped out of her neck and her blood splattered on her body and the furniture around her. Just the thought had my heart aching, but I didn't show it. No, my Guardian mask was on securely, nothing could deter it.

"You really think that's true?" I asked her. "You think you could have done better than Art Schoenberg after what the Strigoi did in there? After seeing what Natalie did to you?" I hated to bring Natalie up, it was still a touchy subject, but I needed Rose to know that she just _wasn't _ready yet. She still had a lot of training, and with the whole situation. I don't think anyone could have done better. It was a total loss from the very beginning. The way I saw it, the family didn't have a chance after the ward was broken.

I saw Rose falter, knowing I hit home. She closed her eyes and took a visible breath. After a few moments, she opened her eyes again and seemed calmer. Even if just a little. "I'm sorry," she said, gaining more control of herself.

"It's okay," I said softly. I looked at her for a moment and reached over to put my hand over hers, she had been through a lot today. I left it there for a few moments, enjoying the warmth and removed it to start the engine. "It's been a long day. For all of us."

* * *

Everybody knew about the massacre by the time we got back to the Academy. The vampiric school day had just ended, and Rose hadn't slept in more than twenty-four hours. Rose was sluggish and I ordered her to go directly to her dorm and rest. She promised she would. I had to go talk to Alberta and Helen about what had happened today. We were supposed to meet in the Meeting Room on the second floor of the Guardian's Building. When I got there, the room was already crowded and noisy with the frantic sounds of helpless Guardians. I mean, it's not like we could do anything about what had happened; it already happened. Alberta looked up when I entered the room and let out a "Thank you dear Lord". She had a flustered look about her that seemed out of place on her face. Everybody then stopped what they were doing and looked at where I stood. There was about three seconds of silence before the room erupted with questions and concerns and just plain babble. I stood quietly until everyone had quieted down, thanks to Alberta and Helen. I went on to tell them everything that we had discovered this afternoon and as I was explaining there were soft disgusted noises coming from various Guardians.

"You mean to tell us that there was a band of six to ten Strigoi working together…_with humans_?" asked Stan Alto from the back of the room. He looked disbelieving and I told him, once again, that there had been four entries, which meant at _least_ four Strigoi. There were murmurs of disbelief and fear coming from around the room as I finished my report.

"Six Strigoi… there's never been that many…"

"Humans helped them? What has the world come to!"

"People! Come on, it's crucial that we figure out what going on here. There was a Badica massacre…we need to look for what they are planning next." She said. "We need to be ready."

It all went downhill from there. Truthfully, this was the most pathetic Guardian meeting I have ever attended. These people were pussies, mention six to ten Strigoi and they fucking flip out. I left after Alberta started yelling at Stan. This was just plain ridiculous. Plus, I also hadn't slept in over twenty-four hours and I was feeling it now.

I went to my room and changed into my favorite dark blue plaid lounge pants (I always envisioned Dimitri wearing these for some reason haha) and a white T-shirt. The moment my head hit the pillow, I was out. But I definitely didn't find solitude that night.

_Images of the Badica massacre raced through my head like a slide show. I could see their stricken faces like I was the one to cause them that pain and agony. The blood was all over the floor, on my hands and shirt, and smeared along the left side of my face. It was everywhere. My clothes were torn and I had no idea where my stake was. I looked around frantically, I wasn't alone.__ There was someone else here…_

_I heard a scream from upstairs that broke my heart in so many ways; I knew I would never be able to pick up all the pieces. I ran as fast as I could up two flights of stairs and burst into one of the bedrooms. There I was met with two pairs of eyes. One with a murderous glare, a glare that could freeze someone to complete stillness. The other a frightened pair, eyes that were so beautiful it hurt to look at sometimes. Soft brown eyes. And red, evil eyes. _

_I was staring into the eyes of a Strigoi. He was holding Roza a foot off the ground by her neck, there were bite marks along her neck and trailing down to her shoulder, arms and wrists. She was pale, and the fire in her eyes was dying fast. Roza had been stripped down to just her underwear and bra and there were bruises all along her body._

_The red eyes glinted with hatred and evil as his hand, lightning fast, dug into Roza's chest and ripped out her heart. Her scream was burnt into my brain, forever a guilty memory. I had lost my Roza. I had lost her forever. _

_The Strigoi dropped her dead body to the ground, leaving her heart at my feet. I couldn't move. I wanted to do so many things at the same time. I had to kill that fucking bastard, I had to avenge her murder, but I had to hold her. I had to protect her in death, if couldn't in her life. I had to make sure no more harm would com to her. The Strigoi killed something my way and I noticed it was my stake. He wanted a fight._

"_I know you want to avenge her death." He said with a sneer. "I'm just giving you a fair shot." His eyes glinted maliciously as he lunged for me. I ducked quickly and grabbed the stake from the ground, carful to not come in contact with Roza, or her extirpated heart. _

_The Strigoi kicked at my right and I dodged, he was clumsy with his movements, probably a newly made evil being of the night. He landed a few blows to my side and chest, but after about ten minutes he started getting sloppy and he let his guard down. The moment I saw the opening, I took it and plunged my stake into his heart. He looked surprised and the last sign of light drifted from his eyes and he stiffened, falling to the ground. I pulled the stake out of his chest and ran over to Roza; I pulled her into my arms and just held there, letting my tears run freely. I don't know what I was supposed to do now that Roza wasn't in my life._

I woke up on the floor, with the sheets wrapped around my legs, halfway on the bed. The room was dark; I could barely see my hand in front of me. I sat up and hung my head in my hands, _what is wrong with me! Why is this happening to me? This is why I try to _avoid _sleep._

I was in way over my head with Roza.

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So... what do you think? Like it? Sorry for the shortness... but its just what it is.

Please dont forget to review, tell me what you think and let me know if I should make any changes and such!


	3. Chapter 3

Hey guys, here's another chapter. I'm sorry for the shortness.. I think I'll try to get the next chapter up by the end of the weekend.

Enjoy.

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I was in way over my head with Roza._

I was in the gym, waiting for Rose for our morning day practice. _If she was late again…_

Five minutes before practice, I heard two people enter the gym.

"Boy, it sure is going to be sad when I make you cry. I kind of feel guilty already." Rose's voice carried over to the other side of the gym-where I was. I had yet to see who she was with, but as they rounded the corner, I saw Rose and…ugh, _Ashfart._

Suddenly Mason bowed in front of Rose, "Your lord and master." Catch you later, Hathaway. Start planning your ski strategies." Mason opened the door and walked out as Rose turned around to face me.

We would be working inside today- it was freezing outside, and Rose was more than a little excited about that. _Just wait until she finds out what we are starting today._ I mentally smiled to myself. I had lined up the dummies on the far wall. They were amazingly life-like. No straw-stuffed burlap bags. They were men and woman, wearing ordinary clothes with rubbery skin and different hair and eye colors. Their expressions ranged from happy to scared to angry.

I held a silver stake in my hand. I saw Rose eye it with longing.

"Sweet," she breathed, still staring at the stake.

I leaned against the wall and tossed the stake into the air. It spun around in a cartwheel a few times then came down. I caught it hilt first. Rose's eyes shown with awe.

"Please tell me I get to learn how to do _that_ today." She said. I was having a hard time keeping a straight face; amusement flashed in my eyes.

"You'll be lucky if you get to _hold_ it today." I said and flipped the stake in the air again. It was fun. _No, you just like seeing the look on Rose's face. You _like_ impressing her._ I saw Rose's eyes following the stake. Rose opened her mouth to say something; probably along the lines of _I've already held one, _but she stopped herself. That line of logic, she knew, would get her nowhere.

She tossed her backpack on the floor, threw off her coat, and crossed her arms expectantly. She had loose pants that tied at the waist and a tank top with a hoodie over it. She had pulled her long beautiful hair into a high ponytail. She looked ready for anything.

"You want me to tell you how they work and why I should always be cautious around them." She stated. I stopped flipping the stake and stared at her in astonishment._ She can read you like an open book._ Rose let out a tinkling laugh that almost look my breath away. "Come on, you don't think I know how you work by now? We've been doing this for almost three months. You always make me talk safety and responsibility before I can do anything fun." I suppressed a smirk. Well, if she was going be like that…

"I see," I said. "Well, I guess you've got it all figured out. By all means, go on with the lesson. I'll just wait over here until you need me again." I tucked the stake into its leather sheath and made myself comfortable on the wall. Rose just stood there, waiting for me to do something, waiting for me to say, "just kidding! Okay, let's get to work!" but when I said nothing, she seemed to realize that I had meant what I said. With a shrug, she launching into a whole spiel of what she knew about stakes.

"Silver always has powerful effects on any magical creature- it can help them or hurt them if you put enough power into it. These stakes are really hardcore because it takes four different Moroi to make them , and they make each of the elements during the forging." Rose stopped and frowned. She was doing a good job. "Well, except for Spirit. So these things are supercharged and are about the only non-decapitating weapon that can do damage to a Strigoi-but to kill them, it has to be through the heart."

She had covered almost everything, but she had missed one big fact that she needed to know. "Will they hurt _you_?" She shook her head.

"No, I mean, well, yeah, if you drive it through my heart it will, but it wont hurt me like it would a Moroi. Scratch one of them with this, and it'll hit them pretty hard- but not as heard as it'd hit a Strigoi. And they won't hurt humans, either." Rose stopped for a moment and stared out the window. I had a feeling she was thinking about the Badica massacre. Talking about stakes and humans had brought back my own memories. After a few moments, Rose started her lesson again. I would occasionally give a nod or ask a clarifying question. As the time ticked down, I noticed that Rose's eyes kept drifting to the stake on my belt. When I finally looked at the clock there was ten minutes left. I hadn't meant to let that go on for so long.

I led her to one of the dummies-a man with blond hair and a goatee. I took the stake out of its sheath and held it out. I didn't give it to her though.

"Where are you going to put this?" I asked.

"In the heart," she replied irritably. "I already told you that like a hundred times. Can I have it now?"

I smiled at her. "Where's the heart." Rose gave me an are-you-serious look. I just shrugged, it was important to know where the heart was, you couldn't kill a Strigoi without knowing where the heart is.

With overdramatic emphasis, she slapped the left side of the dummies chest. I shook my head.

"That's not where the heart is."

"Sure it is. People put their hands over their hearts when they say the Pledge of Allegiance or sing the national anthem."

I continued to stare at her expectantly. She turned back to the dummy and studied it. She tapped the center of the chest.

"Is it here?" I arched an eyebrow. _Did she really not know where the heart was?_

"I don't know," I said just because I knew it would irritate her. "Is it?"

"That's what I'm asking you!"

"You shouldn't have to ask me. Don't you all have to take Physiology?"

"Yeah, that's junior year. I was on 'vacation,' remember?" Rose pointed to the gleaming stake in my hand. "Can I touch it now?"

I flipped the stake again; watching it flash in the light, then disappear into its sheath. "I want you to _tell_ me where the heart is the next time we meet. Exactly where. And I want to know what's in the way, too." Rose gave me a fierce glare before heading off to the showers. I stood in the gym a while longer, just thinking.

I hadn't realized that bringing in the stake today would set off the sting of memories from the Badica house. I was filled with sadness when I thought of all those people: dead. I looked down at the stake in my hands; it was such a beautiful piece of work. The hilt had ornately wrought swirls in the shape of rolling waves, flames, and wind. There was a sketched mountain on one side; something to represent each element used to enchant it. The stake was meant to be used against evil, not by evil against good. Humans using stakes to break wards for Strigoi was sick and twisted, even for the Strigoi.

I sighed and returned my stake to its hilt. Eventually, I made my way out of the gym. I was walking along the tree line by the lower campus when I heard running footsteps. I turned around and saw a blur of red. There was a short woman running to the Upper campus. She had red curly hair and familiar features. It was Janine Hathaway.

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Soooo... what did ya think? I know, its really short. I'll make up for it later. Please leave me a little review. Make me a happy author(:

~Brittany 3


	4. Chapter 4

**A.N.: Hey guys, Oh my Goodness. I am SOOOO sorry for the long wait. Somebody stole my book while I was in the library… so I had to buy a new one. So… I'm sorry for the delay and all and you probably want me to shut up so you can get on with reading. Haha. Okay…**

**ENJOY!

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**

_I sighed and returned my stake to its hilt. Eventually, I made my way out of the gym. I was walking along the tree line by the lower campus when I heard running footsteps. I turned around and saw a blur of red. There was a short woman running to the Upper campus. She had red curly hair and familiar features. It was Janine Hathaway.

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_

I slipped into Stan's class almost ten minutes late. I noticed Roza right away, but I don't think she saw me slip in. I had come in right in the middle of Guardian Lutrova's, an older Guardian who I had met a few years ago, story. Even though he looked old, he could still kick major ass. During his story though, I dazed off. Not really listening until Guardian Hathaway stood up and began to tell her story.

She talked about how her charge, Lord Szelsky, and his wife had attended a ball put on by another prominent royal family. Several Strigoi had been lying in wait. She discovered one, promptly staked it, and then alerted the other Guardians present. With their help, she hunted down the other Strigoi lurking around and performed most of the killings herself.

I could see the rage build up in Rose as her mother talked; but I didn't quite understand why she was becoming so enraged. "It wasn't easy," she explained. "There were three others on the premises. At the time, that was considered an unusually large number to be working together. That's not necessarily true now, considering the Badica Massacre." A few people flinched slightly at the mention of the Badica massacre and I found myself opening the door once again only to see dead bodies everywhere. Blood. Bodies. The _smell._ Flashes played in my mind like a movie and I missed half of her story. I came back when I heard Rose speaking.

"So, Guardian Hathaway," Rose began. I heard a familiar snarky note to her already aggravated voice. I sighed inwardly. _This could not end well._ "Why didn't you guys just secure the place?" Guardian Hathaway frowned. She seemed to be expecting something like this and had her guard up. "What do you mean?"

Rose shrugged and slouched back in her chair, trying an attempt at a casual and conversational air. "I don't know, it seems to me that you guys messed up. Why didn't you scope out the place and make sure it was clear of Strigoi in the first place? Seems like you could have saved yourself a whole lot of trouble." All eyes turned to Rose. Guardian Hathaway was at a loss for words. I don't think she realized that she was being rude.

"If we hadn't gone through all that 'trouble' there would be seven more Strigoi walking the world _and_ those other captured Moroi would be dead or turned by now."

"Yeah, yeah, I get how you guys saved the day and all that, but I'm going back to the principles here. I mean, this is a theory class, right?" She glanced at Stan, and I followed her eyes. He was looked in at her with a look that said _if only looks could kill._ I knew that he and Rose had an endless streak of classroom conflicts, and I suspected they were on the verge of one right now.

I had to give it to Janine, though. She was sitting there, calm as ever. There was something about her face that said that she was pissed, but it was subtle and you could only see it if you looked closely enough. Finally, she replied to Rose smart-ass remark.

"It's not that simple," she began "the venue had an extremely complex layout. We went through it initially and found nothing. It's believed the Strigoi came in after the festivities had started- or that there might have been passages and hidden rooms we hadn't been aware of." Rose didn't look impressed.

"So what you're saying is that you guys either failed to detect them during your first sweep, or they broke through the 'security' you set up during the party. Seems like someone messed up either way." Janine was visibly getting angrier. "We did the best we could with an unusual situation. I can see how someone at your level might not be able to grasp the intricacies of what I'm describing, but once you've actually learned enough to go _beyond_ theory, you'll see how different it is when you're actually out there and lives are in your hands." She did have a point there. Rose still had a lot to learn, and what Rose was doing right now, was just proving Janine's point.

"No doubt," Rose agreed, slightly nodding her head. _Oh great. Rose shouldn't be going there. She won't go there. Rose is too smart for that. Yeah, not when she's pissed._ "Who am I to question your methods? I mean, whatever gets you the _molnija_ marks, right?" Oh, she so didn't just go there. _Yes, yes she did._

"Miss Hathaway!" Stan's deep voice rumbled through the room. "Please take your things and go wait outside for the remainder of class."

Rose just stared at him in bewilderment. "Are you serious? Since when is there anything wrong with asking questions?"

"Your attitude is what's wrong." Stan pointed to the door and it looked like he was about to burst a vein. His face is three shades of red and his eyes would have shot her down dead if they could. "Go."

A heavy silence settled over the class as everyone, including the Guardians, waited to see what she would do next. She did her best to not let the weight of our stares show as she walked out the door with her head held high. It wasn't the first time I had been in the room when Stan kicked Rose out. Most of the time it was for silly reasons, but occasionally, like right now, Rose was just way out of line.

About five minutes before class was over, I saw Janine slipped out of the room, no doubt to have a little chat with Rose. I would be lying if I said I didn't feel bad for both of them. Rose has some issues with her mother, but she doesn't need to exploit them in the middle of class. Just before the bell was supposed to ring, I heard muffled words coming from the hallway. I glanced around to see if anyone else had heard them, but they were all engrossed in one of the other Guest's story.

"…no idea why I left," Rose was saying. "And you have no right to make assumptions about my life when you don't know anything about it."

"I've read reports about what happened. You had reason for concern, but you acted incorrectly." Janine's words were crisp and sharp and I could imagine a cold look across her face, one very similar to one that I saw one Rose's face a couple of times. "You should have gone to others for help."

"There was no one I could go to- not when I didn't have hard proof. Besides, we've been learning that we are supposed to think independently."

"Yes," she replied. "Emphasis on _learning._ Something you missed out on for two years. You're hardly in a position to lecture me about Guardian protocol." There was a silence for a few moments before Rose spoke again. I know I'm eavesdropping, but I couldn't help it. Rose had never said that much about why she left and it was intriguing to hear another little bit of that mystery unfold.

"Yeah?" I could practically see Rose standing with her arms across her chest with a haughty expression. "Well, that's no what my teachers think. Even after missing all that time, I've still caught up with everyone else in my class." Janine didn't answer right away and I had to strain to hear her next words.

"If you hadn't left, you would have surpassed them." I heard footsteps and figured Janine had turned and walked away.

Guardian Hathaway was right. If Rose hadn't run away with the Princess, then she _would_ have surpassed all her peers. _She wouldn't have needed me in the first place._ Just thinking about not meeting Rose made my chest feel like there was a three ton elephant sitting on it. _Where would I be if I hadn't met Rose?_

Just then the bell rang. The rest of the day went by in a blur as I considered where I would be if I hadn't met Rose. Initially, I had thought I was going to have to kill myself. Rose was stubborn, rude, and disrespectful from the very beginning and I couldn't think of a reason for why I had said yes to mentor her. But then I remembered how she tried to protect the Princess when we caught them. I remembered that they had stayed alive for two years on their own. I remembered how she fed Lissa to keep her alive. I realized that Rose has a better sense of responsibility than that of most fully grown Guardians. Plus, she was beautiful, spunky, and danced to her own rhythm. She had a fire about her that I couldn't ignore. If I hadn't met Rose, I don't think I would be able to-

"Dimka!" I was brought back to the surface by a familiar voice coming from behind me. I turned around and saw the one and only Tasha Ozera. I smiled as she ran up to meet me. I was met with a heart-shaped face that had large icy blue eyes. She had a wide smile on her lips and she was laughing. "I've been looking for you all day! I'm here visiting Christian, thought I'd come and say hi to an old friend." She stepped back and we started walking towards the gym, where I was headed.

"It's a wonderful surprise to see you; I didn't know you were coming up. Last minute?"

"Yeah, I figured it's almost the holidays and I missed Christian, so why not?"

"Are you going to stay for the ski retreat?" I asked, wondering how long she was able to get off from her job.

"Sadly, no. I can't. There is just no time. I saved all my vacation time to come down but I have to get back to the studio some time." Tasha worked at a Martial Arts Studio and she also works with offensive magic.

"So where are you staying? The cabin again?" I asked.

"Yea, we are having an ice-skating party. You should come when you're finished. I think Christian and Lissa are going to come around later on after classes." Her face lit up while she mentioned Christian. It was cute. Christian had been her whole world ever since Lucas and Moira were killed. "Oh Dimka, they are so cute. I don't think Christian could have picked a sweeter girl. I met her earlier when I came to say hello to Christian. She's just absolutely wonderful." She had her hands clasped and there was a bounce in her step. "I was so worried that he was becoming too antisocial. I swear, I have no idea where he gets it from." She laughed slightly.

"She is. She is a sweet girl. I have a practice with Rose for a couple hours after classes, so I guess I'll make my way over after then." I had a smile on my face and when I glanced over at her I saw that she had a smile on her face as well. I had really missed Tasha; I had known her since we were kids. She was pretty much my best friend. Still is.

"Oh yes. So I've heard. Dimka is mentoring _the_ Rose Hathaway. How is that going?" she didn't say it rudely, but she said it in a way that made it sound like it was a misfortune that I was stuck mentoring her.

"It's going really well actually. Rose has some major potential. She is going to be one of the best, I can feel it." I told her, making sure not to let any of my affection for Rose seep into my voice. Tasha might have been one of my closest friends, but this was something that I couldn't tell her.

"Well, she has you for a mentor, so I would think she'd come out as one of the best." She giggled and punched my arm lightly. I couldn't help the grin that spread over my face at her teasing. "Just don't kill the poor girl. I'm sure you've got her busy."

"Yes. I will make sure not to kill poor Rose." We had just made it to the gym and before Tasha turned to leave she wrapped her arms around my waist and gave me a tight hug. I hugged her back for a moment before letting go and saying goodbye.

Five minutes later Rose came running into the gym and made a bee-line for the closest dummy. With a curled fist, she slapped its chest, very slightly to the left but mostly in the center.

"There," she said with determination. "The heart is there, and the sternum and ribs are in the way. Can I have the stake now?" She crossed her arms and glanced up at me triumphantly and waited for me to say something. I just nodded in acknowledgement. She should have known that this morning.

"And how do you get through the sternum and ribs?" I asked and she sighed.

We spent most of the practice going over that, and I demonstrated several techniques that would yield the quickest kill. When I held the stake out to her, she looked at it in confusion. Huh. I would have guessed she'd rip it right out of my hand. "You're giving it to me?"

I couldn't help but be amused by her. She never ceased to surprise me. "I can't believe that you're holding back. I would have though that you'd have taken it and run by now."

"Aren't you always teaching me to hold back?" she asked.

"Not on everything."

"But on _some_ things." She whispered. And I heard the double meaning in her words. We had both accepted that there were too many forces working against us being together. Even though I wanted nothing more but to be able to hold her in my arms at night and kiss her out in the open, it just would never be. It couldn't. And we had to accept it. I pushed my feelings for her out of my mind and tried to come up with something to say to her.

"Of course," I said. "It's like everything else. Balance. Know which things to run forward with-and know which ones to leave alone." I put emphasis on the last statement and our eyes met briefly. I felt a sudden bolt of electricity that was always present when I was around her. Rose sighed and hesitantly wrapped her small fingers around the hilt of the still outstretched stake. She lifted it in her hands gently and brought it closer to her, taking a long time to just look at it and study it. I couldn't have told you if my Guardian mask was up or if my utter astonishment was clearly shone on my face. I did not expect her to take this hesitantly. I expected her to instantly start hacking away at the dummies, but after a moment, she looked up at me and asked, "What should I do first?"

I covered all the basics first, honing the way she was to hold and move with the stake. When she got the hang of that I let her attack one of the dummies, which is when she started having trouble.

"Slide _up_ through the ribs," I explained to her. I watched her try to fit the stake's point through a gap in the bones. "It'll be easier since you're shorter than most of your attackers. Plus, you can slide along the lower rib's edge."

When practice ended I took the stake back and nodded in approval. She had done really well today. She's a fast learner. "Good. Very good."

Rose glanced up at me in surprise. "Really?"

"You did it like you've been doing it for years." I told her because it was true. I saw a beautiful grin spread across her face as we started leaving the practice room. When we neared the door, I noticed she tensed slightly before asking, "can I stake that one next time?"

I picked up my coat and looked over to where she pointed. There was a small dummy with red curly hair in the corner of the gym. _Oh, boy._

"I don't think that would be healthy." I said.

"It'd be better than me actually doing it to _her_," she grumbled, slinging her backpack over her shoulder.

"Violence isn't the answer to your problems." I told her, not realizing the contradiction of what I just said what we do for a living until she voiced it.

"She's the one with the problem. And I thought the whole point of my education was that violence is the answer."

"Only to those who bring it to you first. Your mother isn't assaulting you. You two are just too much alike."

Rose stopped walking. "I'm not anything like her! I mean…we kind of have the same eyes. But I'm a lot taller. And my hair's completely different." She pointed to her long, brown-black straight pony tail as if I had forgotten. I looked over at her with an amused expression. "I'm not talking about your appearances, and you know it."

She looked away from me then and was silent for a while.

"You think I'm jealous?" she said quietly.

"Are you?" I asked her, knowing that it annoyed her when I answered her questions with another question. I say the annoyed look on her face and I suppressed a grin. "If so, what are you jealous of exactly?" she glanced back at me.

"I don't know. Maybe I'm jealous because she's put more time into her reputation than into me. I don't know."

"You don't think what she did was great?"

"Yes. No. I don't know. It just sounded like such a…I don't know…like she was bragging. Like she did it for the glory." She grimaced. ""For the marks." _Molnija_ marks were tattoos given to Guardians when they killed a Strigoi. Each one looked like a tiny _x_ made of lightning bolts. They went on the backs of our necks and showed how experienced a Guardian was.

"You think facing down Strigoi is worth a few marks? I thought you'd learned something from the Badica house." I had thought that Rose had now understood that no mater how many marks a Guardian had, it didn't matter, because a Guardian with multiple marks could be killed just as easily as the next Guardian with only one.

"That's not what I-"

"Come on." I said, turning the opposite direction. I wanted to show her something, something that would show her that not all marks are honorable. "I want to show you something."

"What is it?"

"That not all marks are badges of honor."

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**A.N.: Hey. Sooo what's ya think? Again, sorry for such a long wait! **

**So… Richelle Mead's **_Last Sacrifice_** came out on the 7****th****… has anyone gotten a chance to read it? I haven't yet and its sooooo hard waiting. (I'm waiting because I know my momma got it for me for Christmas.) But I read the first chapter online and it was outstanding, of course. (: **

**I probably wont get another chapter up until after Christmas… sorry guys but my Birthday is the 24****th**** (Yeah, turning 15! (: ) and Christmas is really crazy for my family. But I am hoping to get another chapter up before I got back to school. **

**So, until then.**

**Brittany3**


	5. Chapter 5

Hey guy, it's me. I am sooo sorry for not posting sooner, Oh my goodness it's been like six months! I feel so horrible about abandoning this story. Trust me. That was never my intention. But, I am SO excited to get back. I can't wait to hear what you guys have to say! Oh, I am just SOOOO excited haha. Okay.. well I don't really think that I have anything else to say other than I am SO sorry it took so long to get this out. Well, you've waited long enough!

ENJOY!

**~Brittany1224  
**

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**Chapter 5**

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To Rose's surprise, I led her out of the campus's boundaries and into the surrounding forest. The school owned a lot of land, but not all was used for educational purposes. Back in the early days of the school, before the shortage of Guardians became a problem, there used to be Guardians stationed along the outer perimeter of the school's property. They would stay in small log cabins that were now, after many years of neglect, nearly forgotten.

We walked quietly for a while, our feet crunching through thick, unbroken snow. A few birds flitted by, singing their greetings to the rising sun. We were surrounded by large, snow-heavy evergreen trees. Rose was having trouble keeping up with my long stride, most likely due to the thick snow.

"What is that?" Rose asked. A large, dark shape had entered our view and even before I answered her I saw the recognition flash in her eyes. The cabin we were going to was a favorite of Tasha's because there was a small pond next to it that was ideal for ice-skating in the winter and swimming in the spring and summer. The roof was a little saggy and the wood was rotting in some places but Tasha preferred it more than the guest housing on campus.

"Old watch-post," I said, glancing down to look at her. "Guardians used to live on the edge of campus and keep watch for Strigoi."

"Why don't they anymore?"

"We don't have enough Guardians to staff it. Besides, Moroi have warded campus with enough protective magic that most don't think it's necessary to have actual people on guard." _Provided no humans staked the wards_, I thought.

As we got closer to the cabin, we started to hear voices coming from the other side of the cabin. As Rose and I rounded the corner, we saw Tasha, Christian, and Princess Vasalisa skating on the pond. When the Princess saw Rose she halted and a wide grin spread across her face. "Rose!" Christian glanced over then, and by the scowl on his face you could tell we were not exactly wanted well. Tasha had invited me earlier, I don't think she had planned on Rose being with me, but that was a minor detail.

"Thanks for inviting me to the party." Rose said as Lissa tried to skate over to her. The Princess might have been graceful out of her skates, but on skates she was quite wobbly.

"I figured you'd be busy," Lissa said. "And this is secret anyway. We aren't supposed to be here." Rose had an expression on her face that said she could have told them that. I figured she would be all for something that was breaking the rules.

Christian and Tasha skated towards us now, "You bringing party-crashers, Dimka?" Tasha asked with a smile on her face. Her scarred face. I laughed at her use of my old nickname. I had definitely missed Tasha Ozera. "It's impossible to keep Rose away from places she shouldn't be. She always finds them eventually." I glanced at Rose out of the corner of my eye and noticed she looked shocked. At what, I'm not sure because Tasha had let to turn her face so Rose could see her scar. That was the reason for coming here, actually. Tasha's scar. Tasha had fended off her sister and her husband who had gone Strigoi to save Christian's life. She had created enough of a distraction to save Christian until the Guardians had come, but she had not walked away without damage.

Tasha was a beautiful woman, and even though her whole left cheek was masked by an angry purple scar, she held her head high as if it wasn't even there.

At that moment, she turned to face Rose and I could literally see the shock and almost immediately following, the recognition. She now knew why I had brought her here. Rose visibly swallowed and I wished I could know what was going on in her pretty little head. Tasha extended her hand out for Rose to take. "Tasha Ozera," she introduced herself. "I've heard a lot about you Rose." I saw Rose give Christian a dangerous look and couldn't help but find it mildly amusing that she assumed Christian was the only one that had been talking about her. _It's a surprise nobody has noticed how every time Rose is mentioned your face lights up, or that you can't stop talking about her. It's a wonder how nobody has noticed you love her._ I could barely believe my own thought process. Did I really just think that?

"Don't worry," Tasha said to Rose. "It was all good."

"No," he countered. "It wasn't." Tasha shook her head in exasperation.

"Honestly, I don't know where he got such horrible social skills. He didn't learn them from me." That much was obvious, Tasha was extremely outspoken and was also one of the friendliest people I knew.

"What are you guys doing out here?" Rose asked, looking at each of the faces in front of her. In some moments, Rose could look as fierce as a lion that was ready to kill, but other times, such as this one, I couldn't help but admire the way her long hair flowed down her back or how there was that sparkle of life in her eyes. She was beautiful, so much that it hurt me sometimes. I mentally shook my head, bringing myself back to reality. I should not allow myself to get lost in her beauty, we could never be together so there was no point in succumbing to her. It was a lost cause that I desperately wished could be found. I sighed quietly at tuned back into their conversation.

"...don't really like hanging around the school itself. They aren't always hospitable." Tasha was saying. Ah, yes. Just like people discriminated Christian for his parents turning Strigoi, they also discriminated Tasha. I looked over to Rose again, just to gauge her reaction. She figured it out soon enough.

"Because...of what happened..."

Tasha shrugged, just like she always did. I don't think she told anyone else, but it bothers her more than she lets on. "That's just the way it is," she said. I could tell she wanted to talk about something else. Anyone else wouldn't have been able to tell, but I knew her. I knew her better than almost anyone else. We had been very close friends before I had been assigned here. She rubbed her hands together and exhaled, her breath making a frosty cloud in the air. "But let's not stand out here, not when we can build a fire outside." I nodded and Rose gave one last wistful glance at the pond before we turned to head in. I wonder if she wanted to ice skate?

The cabin was pretty bare, covered in layers of dust and dirt. It consisted o only one room. There was a narrow bed with no covers in the corner and a few shelves where food had probably once been stored. There was a fire place, however, and we soon had a blaze going that warmed the whole cabin. All five of us sat down, huddling around it's heat, and Tasha produced a small bag of marshmallows that we cooked over the flames. As we feasted Lissa ad Christian talked among themselves and Tasha and I bantered back and forth. I don't remember when I had laughed so much. Finally, not being able to stay out of the conversation Rose asked, "So are you coming on the ski trip?"

Tasha nodded. stifling a yawn, she stretched herself out like a cat. "I haven't been skiing in ages. No time. Been saving all my vacation for this."

"Vacation?" Rose gave her a curious look. "Do you have... a job?"

"Sadly, yes," Tasha said, even though I knew for a fact that she wasn't sad about it. She loved her job. "I teach martial arts classes." Rose just stared at her in astonishment. I smiled to myself. Rose probably wouldn't have been more surprised if she said she was an astronaut. In the vampire world, Royal Moroi usually didn't work. If they did it was mostly in the form of some sort of investment or other moneymaking business that furthered their family fortunes. And those who _did _work certainly didn't do a lot of martial arts or physically demanding jobs. Moroi had a lot of great attributes: exceptional senses-smell, sight, and hearing-and the power to work magic. But physically, they were tall and slender, often small-boned. They also got weak from being in sunlight. Those things weren't enough to stop someone from becoming a fighter, but they did make it more challenging. Tasha was one of those people that did things their way. An idea had built among the Moroi over time that their best offense was a good defense. Tasha believed that Moroi should learn to defend themselves and not depend on Dhampir Guardians for protection. Tasha also practiced offensive magic; which was something that was frowned upon in the Moroi society.

"What do you think, Rose?" Christian seemed highly amused that Rose was so surprised. "Think you could take her?"

"Hard to say," she said.

Tasha grinned at Rose. "You're being modest. I've seen what you guys can do. This is just a hobby I picked up." I scoffed. _Hobby-shmobby._

"Now _you're_ being modest. You could teach half the classes around here." I said with a laugh.

"Not likely. It'd be pretty embarrassing to be beaten up by a bunch of teenagers." She said with a smile.

"I don't think that would happen," I said, remembering a time when we had sparred together, and when Neil Szelsky was drunk and had tried to feel her up one time at a bar. Now that was some funny shit. I could clearly remember the fear on his face when she stood up in his face and nearly socked him. Tasha just rolled her eyes.

"Throwing my drink in his face wasn't actually damage-unless you consider the damage it did to his suit. And we all know how he is about his clothes." We both burst out laughing, remembering his reaction to his drenched suit. His whole front side had been dripping with the contents of a Dirty Martini after his third failed attempt at trying to get her attention. That happened before the accident, before she and the rest of her family were practically shunned by the Royal Moroi society, and before she even started training in the martial arts. She was tough from the very beginning. She used to be one of the most sought after Royal bachelorettes.

"Did you start learning to fight before or after that happened to your face?" Rose asked, bringing our laughter to an end. I was actually quite surprised that she would ask such an outright question.

"Rose!" hisses Lissa. But Tasha didn't seem to shaken from Rose's question. Neither did Christian and he was a little bit more sensitive when the attack with his parents was brought up. She regarded Rose with a level, thoughtful look. I wonder what was going on in that head of hers.

"After," she said at last. She didn't lower her gaze or look embarrassed, but I did see sadness in her blue eyes. "How much do you know?"

Rose glanced over at Christian. "The basics."

Tasha nodded. "I knew...I knew what Lucas and Moria had become, but that still didn't prepare me. Mentally, physically, or emotionally. I think if I had to live through it again, I still wouldn't be ready. But after that night, I looked at myself-figuratively-and realized how defenseless I was. I'd spent my whole life expecting the Guardians to protect me and take care of me.

"And that's not to say the Guardians aren't capable. Like i said, you could probably take me in a fight. But they-Lucas and Moira-cut down our two Guardians before we realized what had happened. I stalled them from taking Christian-but just barely. If the others hadn't shown up, I'd be dead and he'd-" she stopped, frowned, and kept going. "I'd decided that I didn't want to die that way, not without putting up a real fight and doing everything I could to protect myself and those I love. So i learned all sorts of self-defense. And after a while, I didn't really, uh, fit in so well with high society around here. So I moved to Minneapolis and made a living from teaching others." Silence fell and I could see the wheels turning in Rose's head. Was she wondering what "all sorts of self-defense" that Tasha had mentioned meant? I wonder if she suspected Tasha of practicing offensive magic. I knew she knew that Christian practiced it, but would she link the two?

Tasha was one of those people who could always lighten a mood. We spent the rest of the time listening to Tasha tell funny stories. I knew most of them and contributed frequently. We had them all in hysterics when Tasha finally looked at her watch.

"Where's the best place a girl can go shopping around here?" She asked.

Rose and Lissa exchanged a look and said in unison, "Missoula." Tasha sighed.

"That's a few hours away, but if I leave soon I can probably get in some time before the stores close. I'm hopelessly behind in Christmas shopping."

Rose groaned next to me. "I would kill to go shopping."

"Me too," said Lissa.

"Maybe we could sneak along..." Rose looked at me with a pleading look.

"No," I said immediately. If i looked at that look for more than a few seconds I probably would have given in to her. She looked so...hopeful. Oh god, this girl was turning me into mush. I heard her sigh and turned away from her. I didn't want her to see anything on my face that would give my thoughts away. I knew she could read me better than anyone else.

Tasha yawned again. " I'll have to grab some coffee so I don't fall asleep on the drive in."

"Can't one of your Guardians drive you?" Rose asked. She didn't know that Tasha didn't have any Guardians.

Tasha shook her head. "I don't have any."

"Don't have any..." Rose frowned. "You don't have any Guardians?"

"Nope."

She shot out of her seat, outraged. "But that's not possible! Your Royal! You should at least have one. Two, really." Guardians were distributed among Moroi in a cryptic, micromanaged way by the Guardian Council. It was kind of an unfair system, considering the ratio of Guardians to Moroi. Non-Royals tended to get them by a lottery system. Royals _always_ got them. High-ranking Royals often got more than one, but even the lowest-ranking member of royalty wouldn't have been without one.

"The Ozeras aren't exactly the first in line when Guardians get assigned," said Christian bitterly. "Ever since...my parents died...there's kind of been a shortage."

I could visibly see Rose's anger flare. "But that's not fair. They can't punish you for what your parents did." I was slightly surprised by Rose's passion for this particular cause. _She never ceases to amaze me._

"It's not punishment, Rose." Tasha was as calm as ever and I could tell that it baffled Rose as to why she takes this fact so lightly. "It's just...a rearranging of priorities."

"They're leaving you defenseless. You can't go out there by yourself!"

"I'm not defenseless, Rose. I've told you that. And if I really wanted a Guardian, I could make a nuisance of myself, but it's a lot of hassle. I'm fine for now." I wondered if Tasha was taking this as more of an insult than worry and concern. I looked over at her. "You want me to go with you?"

"And keep you up all night?" Tasha shook her head. "I wouldn't do that to you, Dimka."

"He doesn't mind," Rose said quickly, apparently excited about this arrangement. I couldn't help by chuckle at Rose. She was too cute.

"I really don't." I said to her with a smile. Tasha hesitated.

"All right. But we should probably go soon."

After that our little party started to break up. The Moroi went one direction and Rose and I went the other.

"So what do you think of her?" I asked when we were alone.

"I like her. She's cool." Rose looked deep in thought for a moment. "And I get what you mean by the marks."

"Oh?" She nodded, watcher her feet as we walked along the paths. Even when salted ans shoveled, they could still collect hidden patches of ice.

"She didn't do what she did for glory. She did it because she had to. Just like...just like my mom did." I could tell that she hated to admit that, but it was true. "Marks don't matter. _Molnijas _or scars."

"You're a fast learner," I said with approval. She really was a remarkable girl. _Beautiful, witty, funny, smart. What else is there?_

"Why does she call you Dimka?" My childhood nickname sounded strange coming from her lips. I liked it better when she said my actual name. _Yeah, the way it just rolls of her lips makes me long to hold her. God, what am I turning into? I've never been like this. This girl does crazy things to me._ I laughed softly at her question. "It's a nickname for Dimitri."

"That doesn't make any sense. It doesn't sound anything like Dimitri." There was my name, like a sweet caress off her lips._God, there must be something wrong with me. Am I turning female? _I almost looked down to check. "You should be called, I don't know, Dimi or something."

"That's not how it works in Russian," I said, trying to contain my smile. I loved just talking with Rose. Our soft banter was sometimes the highlight of my day.

"Russian's weird."

"So is English." She gave me a sly look, _uh-oh, what is she up to know?_

"If you'd teach me to swear in Russian, I might have a new appreciation for it." Ha. Like that was going to happen.

"You swear too much already."

"I just want to express myself."

"Oh, _Roza_..." I sighed. "You express yourself more than anyone else I know." She smiled and we walked in silence for a while. It was a comfortable silence and I was just happy to be with her. Being alone like this, truly alone didn't happen very often and each moment of it i cherished. After a few minutes Rose decided to speak.

"You know, there's something funny about Tasha's scars."

"What's that?" I asked. Maybe she was starting to get my point.

"The scars...they mess up her face," she began slowly, having trouble putting her thoughts into words. "I mean, it's obvious she used to be pretty. But even with the scars now...I don't know. She's pretty in a different way. It's like...like they're a part of her. The complete her." Yes. This is exactly where I was hoping she would go. I didn't say anything, but i gave her a sidelong glance. When I looked at her, I couldn't help but notice her beauty. Damn, it was like every time I looked at her, it was the first time. Right now her cheeks were red from the cold, her eyes were twinkling with something I wasn't quite sure of and...she was just beautiful. It hurt, really. The moment passed quickly, I couldn't let her see. I replaced those emotions with pride and approval. I was proud of her, proud to know her. She was so smart, such a fast learner. Soon enough, she wouldn't even need me. It almost saddened me, thinking that she wouldn't need me anymore. Would I even be able to let her go? I dismissed that thought and buried it deep. I didn't need to be thinking about that. Not now.

When I spoke, it was an echo of my earlier thoughts. "You're a fast learner, _Roza._"

* * *

So, What did you think? I have been just dying to know! Trust me, if you leave me little reviews it won't take so long for an update! Haha, even if you don't I promise it won't take that long. I love you guys and I would love to hear your feedback!

So just press that little button, come on, I know you want to!

**~Brittany1224**


	6. Chapter 6

Hey guys, It's me. I don't think that there will be any set update time or day or whatever, but I will be starting the next chapter later in the evening. Hopefully it will be out late tonight or tomorrow.

Here is chapter 6!

Tell me what you think!

Enjoy!

**~Brittany1224**

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Chapter 6

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After Bringing Rose back to her dorm, I went to my room to change. I told Tasha that I would go with her to Missoula for Christmas shopping, and that we would meet in front of the gym in half an hour.

I opened the door to my room and threw my duster onto the bed. I grabbed a fresh shirt from my closet and quickly changed. I brushed my teeth, grabbed my duster and was out of there within five minutes. I got to the gym about ten minutes early and I pulled out one of my Old Western books from my coat pocket. There was just something about these books that drew me in. I wasn't quite sure what it was, but before I knew it Tasha was standing in front of me with a wide smile on her face.

"Didn't realize you still read those things, Dimka."

"You couldn't pry them from my dead hands, Tasha." I said with a laugh. I stood up and we started walking towards her car.

The cold wind whipped around us, biting whatever piece of exposed skin it could find. Icicles hung from every possible surface making the old school look like an ice castle. Snow flakes had started falling about twenty minutes ago and it truly looked like a winter wonder land.

"I bet you've read every single Western novel ever written. What am I supposed to get you for Christmas now?" Tasha said with a laugh, shaking her head.

"You don't have to get me anything," I told her, surprised that she would think to get me something.

"Nonsense. I'll just have to think of something special for you, Dimka," she turned to look at me and had an expression that I couldn't quite read. _Was she trying to tell me something or is giving weird signals something all women do?_

At that moment she handed me the keys as we arrived at her car. It was a 2008 green Honda Accord.

"Is this a new car? I distinctly remember you having a small grey car the last time I saw you." I said, remembering the time her car had been broken into. We had had to file a report on it and everything. It sucked.

"Yeah, you like? I got it a few months ago. I was getting sick of boring old grey. Plus, this one has a CD player and everything!" We both laughed at that, remembering the first time I had been in her car. I was completely shocked that her car did not have a CD player, I had thought it simply _wrong_. I stopped laughing and shook my head at the memory.

"Finally! I can torture you with my 80's music all I want now. I wish you told me earlier; I would have brought my CD's."

"Oh god, please no." She laughed, feigning horror.

The ride to Missoula didn't seem as long as it actually was. Time seemed to fly when I hung around Tasha. We made it to the mall with a few hours before closing. She shopped and laughed. I helped her pick out something for Christian and Lissa. I was most surprised though, when she told me to go away for a few minutes. I wasn't sure what that was supposed to mean, but I stayed in the same store just to make sure she wasn't in any danger. She emerged from the store with two bags and I was curious as to what was in them.

"I just got you the best Christmas present!" She exclaimed happily. "You are going to love it. I also grabbed something for Rose too, I hope it fits her."

"You got a present for Rose, too?" I asked incredulous.

"Of course I did, I didn't want to leave her out."

"What did you get her?"

"I'm not telling you!" She laughed and smacked my arm. "You'll probably spill it." I couldn't help but laugh._ Yeah, me, Dimirti Belikov. I would so tell Rose what Tasha got her for Christmas._

"Yeah, you're right. It's my darned mouth. I can never keep it shut." I said, smirking down at her.

"See, even you admit to it."

The rest of the night went smoothly, we joked back and forth and grabbed something to eat before we left. Tasha still had some shopping to do, but the mall was closing so it would have to wait.

The ride back was quite, I think Tasha fell asleep at one point, but she woke up about an hour into the ride home. I could use some sleep too. I had grabbed some coffee from the food court before we left the mall, but it didn't really help that much. It was going to be a long ride back to the Academy.

XxXxXxX

_I was outside, standing by the cabin in the woods. It was cold and snowing, but I wasn't alone. I turned around and saw someone ice-skating on the frozen pond. I was mesmerized. She was so graceful. Every movement seemed to flow into the next. The person did a little turn and I caught a glimpse of her face. Dark, tan skin, large brown eyes that were so deep I could drown in them, and long straight jet-black hair. It was Rose. She was beautiful, I didn't know she could ice-skate so well. She caught my eye and smiled, waving me over._

"_Are you going to join me or what?" she yelled to me. Just then she did one of those turn-y things again. I couldn't take my eyes off her. The snow flakes landed in her hair, making her hair look like it was made of black crystal. I tried to move my feet, to go to her, but they wouldn't move. _

"_Dimirti?" She called again, this time skating over to where I stood._

"_I can't move, Roza." I whispered to her. I didn't know what was wrong, why couldn't I move my feet?_

"_Yes you can, Comrade. You do it all the time." She said, looking up at me with a smirk. She thought I was playing with her. I wish I were._

"_Roza, I told you, I can't move me feet. They won't budge." She held out her hand to me and I took it. She yanked as hard as she could and we both fell backwards. I was laying on top of her and she was laughing, a beautiful sound that carried throughout the woods around us._

"_I got it," she whispered as she looked up at me. She leaned forward and kissed me, just briefly. What would I give to actually live that? Her lips were soft and warm against mine and I felt her small hand wrap around my neck. My fingers weaved their way into her silky hair, softly tugging on it. "I love you, Dimitri." She whispered and pecked me on the lips once more before pushing me off her and sitting up. I was in shock. She had said 'I love you'. My heart beat had stopped, my breathing had stopped. I don't know why I was still functioning properly, but after a moment they both started up again. _

_She loves me._

_I was floating. I'm sure there was a goofy-ass grin on my face, but I couldn't help it. The girl of my dreams just told me she loved me. Damn. I just couldn't wrap my head around it._

"_My ass is getting soaked. Help me up," she complained. I just shook my head and laughed. I got to my feet and helped her up. Then I held her. Just having her close was enough. I leaned forward to kiss her, and she met me half-way. I smiled against her lips and pulled her closer, I tried to deepen the kiss-_

My dream was interrupted my phone ringing. I groaned and rubbed my eyes before I answered it. _This thing with Rose is getting way out of control. This isn't the first dream I've had of her._

"Hello?" I said into the phone. It was Alberta.

"Guardian Belikov? This is Alberta. I hate to wake you up so soon after you got back, but I thought I should tell you that you can sleep in today. We have someone to cover Rose's training for you."

"Thank you, Alberta. What time should I be ready?" I asked.

"Whenever you are ready. You can just jump back in to your regular shifts."

"Alright, thanks again."

"Get some more sleep, Dimirti you sound like you really need it. I'll probably see you later."

"Alright, goodbye."

"Goodbye." _So they had to wake me up to tell me that I could go back to sleep? That's messed up. Oh well at least I can sleep._

I was actually afraid to go back to sleep. What if I dreamt of Rose again?

My worrying was soon forgotten when fatigue took over my body. I fell into a deep, dreamless sleep after that.

XxXxXxX

It was about lunch time for the Moroi when I decided it was time to get up. I took my time showering and getting dressed and left my room about an hour later. I went to the Guardian Lounge to grab something to eat before I went to Stan's room. I sat down in my usual corner seat and pulled out my Western novel. After my dream last night, it was the only thing that could get my mind off Rose.I vaguely wondered who had taken over my training with her this morning..

"Dimitri?" I looked up from my book and saw Ms. Meissner standing in front of the copier. My name didn't sound as appealing coming from her lips as it did coming from Rose's. _Why was it that whenever I came in here, she always showed up? _

"Yes?"

"What are you doing in here? Don't you have to like, guard the classrooms or something?" She said, grabbing what she needed from the machine and walking over to where I sat. _Kill me now._ Part of me wanted her to leave me alone, but another part of me asked myself why I couldn't be in love with someone like her. Someone older, out of high school. I sighed inwardly.

"I was just going to leave, actually." I told her, closing my book and placing next to my empty plate. "I accompanied Tasha Ozera to Missoula last night and we got in late, Alberta gave me the morning off."

"Oh, I see." I saw something flash in her eyes but it was gone quickly. She flicked a piece of her hair behind her shoulder and turned around to leave. "I have to get back to my class," she said, and walked out of the room. _What was her problem?_

After a few minutes of just sitting I decided I should probably get to work. I walked across campus to the Gym and Sparring classes and slid my way into Stan's class. The period was half over and I knew that Rose was in the next class. _Was that creepy? To know when Rose had which class? It wasn't like I knew her whole schedule, just Stan's. _

Stan was yelling at some kid because he was whispering smart-ass remarks while he was teaching when the bell rang. Everybody gathered their things and left, new students trickling in to take their place. As the bell rang notifying everyone that the period had begun, I realized that Rose wasn't here. _Where was she? _

"Did you hear? Rose was beat up by her mom this morning."

"Yeah, I heard that. Apparently, it was on purpose too. Have you seen her? She has a major black eye."

"No I haven't. But I'm sure she does. Rose may be pretty tough, but her mom is totally badass."

"Yeah, I heard..."

So that's who they got. They really thought that was a good idea? Honestly, sometimes the stupidity of my superiors is unbelievable. A three year old would have been able to tell that that was a bad idea. I sighed. And of course Rose would do something stupid to provoke Janine. Those two were just too much alike.

I spent the rest of the day in a blur. Not really remembering what happened or who I talked to. I still couldn't believe they had asked Janine to train her this morning. _I wonder if she volunteered?_ Rose couldn't see it, but she really did care about her. I could tell she loved her and I couldn't fathom what Rose could have said to her that would make her lose her control and actually punch Rose in the face. I didn't want to know. Rose was probably the only person in the whole world who could come up with something as ridiculous as that. I shook my head and started to walk back to my room.

I was about half way there when someone called my name.

"Dimitri?" I turned around and saw the worried face of Janine Hathaway.

"Yes, Guardian Hathaway?" I didn't know what she could possibly need from me.

"Have you seen Rose today? I haven't seen her since... this morning. I feel so terrible about what happened. She has to know that I didn't do that on purpose."

"I haven't seen Rose at all today, sorry. I heard she was in the infirmary all during classes today." I told her, surprised that Janine would come to me for that kind of question.

"Oh, okay well thank you anyways," she said and left.

Rose had such the wrong impression of her, it was crazy. How could she not tell that her mother cared for her deeply? How could she not see that she loved her? I shook my head and walked the rest of the way to my room. Today had been long, even with my extra hours of sleep. Hopefully, I wouldn't have another dream tonight.

XxXxXxX

I woke up ten minutes late the next morning. I looked over at my clock and swore quietly. Rose was never on time anyways, ten minutes wouldn't hurt, right? I got showered and dressed and grabbed an apple on the way out. I would eat something more substantial later.

Just as I rounded the corner, I heard voices.

"That's not what I was asking about."

"I know. Just be there, okay?" I could hear the grin in her voice. I wonder who she was talking-

Oh. Mason Ashfart. My favorite person. _It's not really fair of you to dislike him like this, just because he has a crush on Rose. He can't help but notice how beautiful she is, and ahem, neither can you._ He swept her a gallant bow before leaving. "Absolutely."

We returned to the training room with the dummies, and I told her that I simply wanted her to practice the maneuvers from two days ago. She set to her task with a burning zeal, showing the dummies just what would happen if they messed with Rose Hathaway. I sat back and watched her, occasionally critiquing her technique and offering suggestions for new tactics.

"Your hair is in the way," I said at one point. "Not only are you blocking your peripheral vision, you're running the risk of letting your enemy get a handhold."

"If I'm actually in a fight, I'll wear it up," she grunted and shoved the stake neatly up between the dummy's ribs. "I'm just wearing it down today, that's all." I sighed inwardly. I hadn't seen Rose since she got in the fight with her mother, but I knew she had a black eye. Was she trying to hide it? From me?

"Rose," I said warningly. She ignored me and when I spoke next my voice came more sharply than the last time I had spoken. "_Rose._ Stop."

She backed away from the dummy, her breathing labored. Her back hit the wall and her eyes fell to the floor.

"Look at me," I ordered.

"Dimirti-"

"_Look at me._" No matter what our history was, I was still her instructor and she couldn't refuse a direct order. Slowly and reluctantly, she turned toward m, still tilting her head slightly down so that her hair hung over the sides of her face.

I rose up from my chair, walked over and stood before her. She avoided my eyes and my hand seemed to have a mind of it's own. It moved forward to get the hair out of her face, but I stopped it before it made contact. _What is wrong with you! Control! Control yourself, Dimitri! You can't touch her like that. You are her instructor, you are her mentor. She is seventeen. She is still in high school. Put your hand down right now._ I slowly let my hand fall to my side. She slowly tipped her head back to look at me, and most of her hair fell away from her face. But not all. My hand twitched, but I didn't let myself lose control again. What was it with Rose? Why did she make me lose control? Why was it so much harder with her?

"Does it hurt?" I asked, just now noticing how badly her mother punched her. Her left eye and cheek where covered in splotchy dark purple and blue bruises. It must have hurt.

"No," she lied. I could tell she was lying. There was some kind of tension in the air between us. The scent of her shampoo washed over me. It wasn't making this any easier. God, I was so in over my head.

"It doesn't look so bad." I told her, truthfully, it could have been worse. "It'll heal."

"I hate her," she said, sounding just as astonished as I was at just how much venom those tree words held.

"No, you don't," I told her gently.

"I _do._"

"You don't have time to hate anyone," I advised her, voice still kind. "Not in our profession. You should make peace with her." I knew that was easier said than done.

I could see outrage appear on her face and my eyes widened a little bit. _uh-oh._

"Make peace with her?After she gave me a black eye _on purpose_? Why am I the only one who sees how crazy that is?"

"She absolutely did _not_ do it on purpose," I told her, my voice hard. She couldn't really think that, could she? "No matter how much you resent her, you have to believe that. She wouldn't do that, and anyway, I saw her later that day. She was worried about you."

"Probably more worried that someone would bring her up with child abuse charges," she grumbled.

"Don't you think this is the time of year for forgiveness?" I asked her. She sighed loudly.

"This isn't a Christmas special! This is my life. In the real world, miracles and goodness just don't happen.

"In the real world, you can make your own miracles." I was still eyeing her calmly, it was the only way to make her calm. But I guess that wasn't the case. Her frustration reached it's breaking point and all of her control went straight out the window. Shit.

"Okay, can you just stop for once?" She demanded, hands on her hips.

"Stop what?" I was genuinely confused.

"The whole profound Zen crap thing. You don't talk to me like a real person. Everything you say is just some wise, life-lesson nonsense. You really do sound like a Christmas special." Okay, that hurt. I was only trying to help. "I swear, sometimes it's just like you want to hear yourself talk! And I _know_ you're not always this way. You were perfectly normal when you talked to Tasha. But with me? You're just going through the motions. You don't care about me. You're just stunk in your stupid mentor role." I just stared at her. I couldn't believe what she had just said. Honestly? I don't think something more surprising could have come out of her mouth. I coudn't even fathom where she got that idea in her head that I didn't care about her. _I didn't care about her! Was she so blind that she thought I didn't care about her? _My chest hurt more than it should have at her words as I forced words of my own out of my mouth.

"I don't care about you?" Was my brilliant response. My control had finally snapped. This girl would be the death of me. I swear.

"No. I'm another student to you. You just go on and on with your stupid life lessons so that-" My hand reached out and grabbed her hand that was jabbing at my chest. I pinned it to the wall.

"_Don't_ tell me what I'm feeling," I growled. I saw something flash in her eyes, and I didn't like it one bit.

"That's it, isn't it?" She asked.

"What?"

"You're always fighting for control. You're just like me." Her words fueled my anger, because like most guesses she made about me, it was true.

"No," I said. Not willing to admit it. I had worked too hard to let it all go, now. "I've learned my control."

"No," she informed me. "You haven't. You put on a good face, and most of the time you do stay in control. But sometimes you can't. And sometimes..." she leaned forward and lowered her voice. "Sometimes you don't to."

"Rose..." This was going to end very badly. My breath was labored and my heart was beating erratically. I wasn't pulling away. I couldn't make myself. I wanted it too much. I knew it was wrong, but I honestly didn't care anymore. I didn't want to control myself.

Before I realized what was happening, Rose kissed me. Our lips met and I kissed her back. It was just like in my dream. Her lips were soft and warm and moved against mine with a fervor that I could never have imagined. It was better than I imagined. I kept hold of her hand and let my free hand snake behind her head, sliding into her silky hair. The kiss was filled with so much intensity; it held anger, passion, release...

I was the one who broke it. I had to be the one in control. I jerked away from her and took several steps backwards. I couldn't believe I had just done that.

"Do _not_ do that agian," I said stiffly, trying to get the feeling of her lips out of my mind.

"Don't kiss me back then," she retorted. Did she not realize what just happened? She is under age. Still in _high school_. I stared at her for what felt like forever.

"I don't give 'Zen lessons' to hear myself talk. I don't give them because you're another student. I'm doing this to teach you control.

"You're doing a great job," she said bitterly. I closed my eyes for half a second. I needed to chill the fuck out. I needed to get control of myself. I exhaled, swore in Russian and turned without looked back at her. I needed a raise.

* * *

Hey What'd you think? Did you like it? I know a lot of you really wanted to get to this chapter in the book, and it was a really interesting one for me to write. There was a lot of stuff that I had to put in there and make up so I hope you guys liked that too! Don't forget to drop me a little review! They are much appreciated!

**~Brittany1224**


	7. Chapter 7

Hey guys, I am so sorry about the late update but my momma decided to take me to a surprise dentist appointment yesterday. So, I couldn't get it all finished. But it's finished now. Sorry it's a little short, there wasn't much with Dimitri in this chapter so I had to make up a bunch of stuff. Well, I''ll let you get reading!

Hugs and kisses to everyone who reviewed! I love receiving them, and I'd love to see more of them!

Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 7**

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Later that day, I sent Rose a message telling her that our next two sessions were to be canceled because of the rapidly approaching plans to leave campus. Classes were about to end anyway I told her; taking a break from practice seemed like a reasonable thing.

It was a lame excuse, I know, but I couldn't be around her in the mental state I was in at the moment. I was avoiding her, and I knew she knew the real reason why I didn't want to see her.

I had completely lost it after I left her standing there in the gym. I burst through the doors, not even noticing the harsh cold air biting at my face. I wanted to hit something. Anything. That would have made me feel a little better. Maybe. I shut my eyes tightly and leaned up against the gym's wall. I couldn't get the feeling of her soft lips against mine out of my head, or the way she pressed herself against me. Or the feeling of her hair, or her scent. _B'lyad _(fuck!). What was wrong with me? _What was it about Rose Hathaway that made it so hard to stay in control around her?_ I growled and punched the wall besides me. God, I needed to get it together.

I made a bee-line to Guardian Housing. I didn't know what I was going to do, but I needed to get the fuck away from the gym. And Rose. I needed to clear my head. I needed to think. But of course, life wouldn't have it.

"Hey, Dimka! You in a rush? Late for a hot date?" I stopped immediately when I heard her voice. And of course she would make a 'date' joke about it. That just brightened my mood. _Not._

"Hey Tasha, I'm actually just going back to my room for a few minutes..."

"Oh good, I wanted to talk to you about something..that is if you aren't in a hurry," she said. She was fiddling with whatever was in her hands and was looking down at her feet. She was nervous. I sighed inwardly. I didn't want to be rude, but I really needed to be alone right now.

"No, I'm not in a hurry. What do you need?"

"Well, I wanted to know if you would be my Guardian?" Wow. I think I just stared at her for a few seconds before her words actually sank in. _Did Tasha Ozera just ask me to be her Guardian? Yes, you idiot, now say something before she thinks you've gone absolutely crazy._

"Tasha...I don't know what to say..." My head started to swim with all the possibilities that being her Guardian would bring. _She is your oldest friend, you know her better than anyone else- how could you not see this coming?_ I was stupid enough not to know that this was a great opportunity, but there was a large part of my that screamed no. Becoming her Guardian would mean I would live with her. _Away from Rose._ What if Tasha wanted to have children? Would I be able to go through with that? _While being in love with someone else?_

"You don't have to say anything right away, I just wanted you to know that the offer stands." She said, smiling up at me. I was about a foot and a half taller than her and yet I still felt like she was the one looming over me. _Of course she would ask me that, why wouldn't she? It's not like I have enough to stress over already. No, kissing the student that I'm in love with wasn't enough, I guess. _"Alright, well I'll let you get back to whatever you were doing. Just think about it, okay?" She said, turning around to leave. I raked my hand through my hair, about ready to pull it all out. These women were going to drive me fucking insane.

I sighed and turned around, heading to my room again. Honestly, I didn't know what I was going to do with the Rose issue and now I had to deal with the Tasha issue, too? I was almost to my room when I pulled out my phone and called Alberta. I could barely make sense of what was going on in my head, how could I be alert and patrol campus?

The phone rang twice. "Guardian Petrova."

"Hello Alberta, it's Dimitri. I need a sick day. I'm not fully in it today." I told her. I hated taking sick days. Absolutely despised them. And she knew it.

"Are you sure, Dimitri? This isn't like you. Is everything alright?" Her voice was a little softer than usual and I knew it was because she was genuinely concerned. I don't think I had ever taken a sick day while here at St. Vlad's. This must be a shocker for her. Some one was winning a bet today.

"Yeah. I don't know what's up. I think I just need to rest for a while. I should be better tomorrow."

"Alright, thank you for calling me. We'll have someone cover your shift for you. Do you need someone to cover Rose's training after school?" She asked.

"No, I've got that under control. I will see you tomorrow. Bye, Alberta."

"Bye Dimitri, feel better." _Click._ Well, that was taken care of. I couldn't believe I had taken a sick day to figure out my women problems. _Who does that? You, obviously._ I groaned and stepped inside my room. What was I going to do all day? Lay in bed and think? Ugh. Great. Better than I thought.

I threw my duster on the chair across from my bed and looked in the mirror. _What am I going to do?_ I have so many issues right now. I'm in love with my student. I kissed her today. I could get fired if anyone found out. She's under age. Tasha asked me to be her Guardian. Which would mean I'd have to move away from Rose. Which brings me back to the student I'm in love with.

I couldn't let what happened with Rose happen again. That was never supposed to happen. If I didn't address it, it could probably happen again. _Not that you would mind. Admit it, you liked it. It was better than you ever could have imagined. Just imagine what it would be like to-_ I stopped that thought process. I didn't need to go there. I couldn't. If I did, I could never look at Rose the same way again- and I already saw her in a way that was inappropriate for a mentor.

The rest of the day was spent laying on my bed, trying to decide whether or not to take Tasha's offer. I was flipping between the pros and cons of being her Guardian when my phone rang. I sighed at sat up, reaching into my pocket to answer it.

"Belikov," I said into the phone.

"Dimka! Don't sound so sad. I have something to cheer you up." Came across the line. Tasha. I suppressed another sigh. Why couldn't people just leave me alone right now? I had shit to deal with.

"Tasha, hey. What's up?"

"I am inviting you to a Christmas Brunch in the west parlor tomorrow!"

"Oh. I didn't even realize it was Christmas Eve. I would love to come. What time do you want me there?" I asked, I couldn't believe it. I had gone completely insane and forgotten it was the day before Christmas.

"Eleven o'clock is when everyone is arriving. Food is served at eleven thirty."

"Yeah, I'll be there. See you then, Tasha."

"Okay, see you then! Hey, I heard you took a sick day today. Are okay? Must be pretty serious if _you_ called in and asked for the day off. I can't even remember the last time you took a sick day." She mused. I could hear the smile in her voice and I knew she was teasing, but wasn't in the mood for it.

"Yeah, I just wasn't myself today. I'll be better tomorrow. Bye, Tasha."

"Bye, Dimitri," she chirped and hung up. I sighed loudly and fell onto my back.

XxXxXxX

* * *

I woke up the next morning and took a shower, getting ready for Tasha's brunch. I took a shower and got dressed, grabbing a dark blue sweater and my regular jeans. _I was going to have to do laundry soon. Yay, my favorite activity._

I arrived to brunch ten minutes after eleven, not really worried that I was late. Tasha wouldn't mind. I had grabbed the small box off the counter before I left and now I was trying to find Tasha to give her her present.

I found her in the middle of a group of people that I vaguely remembered meeting. They all nodded their heads at me as I approached, acknowledging my presence.

"Dimka, you made it. I was beginning to think you'd forgotten. You feeling better?" she asked, turning towards me, a bubbly drink in her hand.

"I'm only ten minutes late. You know you should be worried when it's fifteen. Come on, now." I said with a laugh. It was only slightly awkward talking with her, but then again, nothing was really awkward with Tasha. She was one of those people who could make any awkward moment better.

Tasha threw her head back and laughed, "You're right, I'm sorry for doubting you, haha."

"Dimitri, long time no see." I turned to my right and saw Alec Ozera, Tasha's older brother.

"Alec, it's been too long." I said, smiling and extending my hand to shake his. I had been friends with Alec before I met Tasha.

"Hey did you know Robert and Sheila are having another baby? It's five for them, now. Talk about a handful. Man, one baby is plenty, haha." He said. Robert was Alec and Tasha's cousin, who I had also known before Tasha.

"Five?" I asked in surprise. "I hadn't heard that." Tasha nodded at this.

"It's insane. I swear, I don't think his wife's had more than six months off between kids. She's short, too-so she just gets wider and wider."

"When I first met him, he swore he didn't even want kids." I said, remembering when I had first met Robert and we were at a party. Kids were all over the place, running around and just being kids. He had been so annoyed by it he's sworn he was never having a kid. I guess things changed.

Tasha's eyes widened excitedly. "I _know_! I can't believe it. You should see him now. He just melts around them. I can't even understand them half the time. I swear, he speaks more baby than English." The group all burst into laughter in agreement. I couldn't help the smile on my face. I could just imagine what he would say if he heard us all talking about him like this.

"Well...children do that to people." I said.

"I can't imagine it happening to _you_," she laughed. "You're always so stoic. Of course...I suppose you'd be doing baby talk in Russian, so no one would ever know." I laughed at that, mostly because it was probably true.

After that we ate and opened presents. Tasha gave hers out first and she handed me a small wrapped box. "Merry Christmas, Dimka." she said and smiled, moving on to give the next person their gift. Rose had been invited and was sitting three people down from me. I hadn't spoken to her since the kiss and all I really wanted to do was avoid her at all costs. I didn't need a scene, and knowing her; she would cause a scene.

I slowly unwrapped the gift Tasha gave me and was surprised when I found a clothing box. _She bought me clothes?_ There was a forest green t-shirt and a pair of dark jeans. I held them up and looked at them, they should fit. I refolded them and put them back in the box. I couldn't help myself. I had to glance over at Rose. She just finished opening her gist and was holding up a beautiful red silk dress. I remember Tasha being excited about her present for Rose and now I knew why. The dress was really nice and had small embroidered flowers along the bottom and side. Rose would look gorgeous in it. _Stop it. Don't think about that kind of thing. You shouldn't be thinking about Rose in a red silk dress. She. Is. Your. Student._ I scowled and looked away. Ugh, this was harder than I thought it was going to be.

After Tasha was finished everyone else started dishing out their gifts. I got a few Western novels that I already had and a few 80's CD's. Alec had just gotten me a Barns&Noble gift card and one of the other Guardians had given me one hundred dollars in cash. It was a pretty good haul.

Somewhere in the middle of the gift-giving craziness, I sneaked another look over at Rose. She was opening a small jewelery box from Lissa. Rose held up what looked like a small rosary. _It's a _chotki,_ stupid. Moroi give them to whoever guard their family._

"What the..." Rose looked completely lost. She was never a religious person and was probably wondering what the hell she was holding. "Are you trying to convert me?" Yeah, leave it to Rose to make a religious joke out of this situation. I saw Lissa's eyes flash with amusement as she spoke.

"Flip it over," she said. Rose flipped it over and looked up at her in confusion.

'It's a family heirloom," she explained. "One of my dad's good friends has been saving boxes of his stuff. This was in it. It belonged to my great-grandmother's Guardian."

Rose looked up at Lissa, now understanding what it was for. "Liss..."

"Well, I certainly can't keep it. It's meant for a Guardian. My Guardian."

"You know," Rose teased, "there's a good probability I'll get kicked out of school before I can become your Guardian."

"Well, then you can give it back." Everyone near them laughed and Tasha was about to say something, when she stopped and looked up at the door.

"Janine!" Rose's mother stood there, looking stiff and impassive. Yeah, this was a recipe for disaster.

"Sorry I'm late," she said. "I had business to take care of."

After the initial 'hello's' to Janine, they started talking about some fight she was in. I gathered my things and went to leave. I needed to get out of here. I was having some issues concerning the _chotki_ Lissa had given Rose. If Lissa was that serious about having Rose be her Guardian, that would mean Rose and I would be partners. Would I be able to handle that? Could I throw myself in front of Lissa if Rose was in danger as well? These thoughts swam in my head the whole walk to my room.

When I finally plopped down onto my bed, I had made my decision.

I was going to be Tasha Ozera's Guardian.

* * *

Ooohh, cliffy? Haha yeah I suck. Well we all know how it ends up, but I just thought that it would make the story a little bit more interesting if there was little bit more drama haha. Yeah, I rock and suck at the same time! Well, I will be starting the new chapter right after I post this, but no promises when it will come out. All I can say is that it will be out some time in the next few days. I might even finish it today, who knows.

Oh, and there was one Russian word in the chapter... I'm pretty sure it was right, but not completely. So if anyone knows Russian and can tell me, let me know!

So... what did you think? Please tell me, I'm dying to know! Just press that little button at the bottom of the page. I just wanna say thanks to everyone who takes the time to drop me a review. You honestly don't know how much it makes my day. Even if it's a hate review, I would rather know your opinion!

Till next time,

~Brittany1224


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